Neo Nazi plotted mass gun slaughter and planned to target Mayor of London | UK | News

A Neo-Nazi who planned a mass shooting and planned to target the Mayor of London’s home has been locked up for more than a decade.

Alfie Coleman, 22, was jailed for 13-and-a-half years at the Old Bailey for planning a mass shooting after being set up by MI5 in an undercover operation.

Coleman was 14 when he first started scouring the internet for far-right material, including a neo-Nazi text he downloaded to his iPad.

The former part-time Tesco worker went on to compile a hate list of colleagues and customers whom he labeled with racial slurs or “race traitors”.

He wrote a “manifesto” in a diary and identified potential targets, including the Mayor of London and a mosque.

He was caught after undercover police officers from MI5 had a coded chat with Coleman, who was looking to buy a gun.

Authorities first became interested in the summer of 2023 when Coleman became increasingly active in far-right groups online.

He planned to purchase a Skorpion automatic weapon, an AK47 rifle and bullets in France in early September 2023 and identified a local mosque as a target, but quickly abandoned the plan.

Instead, MI5’s “hugely complex operation” culminated in the Morrisons car park in Stratford, east London, on the morning of 29 September 2023.

That day, Coleman, then 19, arranged with an undercover police officer to purchase a Makarov pistol, five magazines and 200 rounds of ammunition.

Jurors watched dramatic video of Coleman dropping £3,500 in a Land Rover Discovery and retrieving the bag containing the gun and ammunition from the boot.

Before he had gone 30 metres, Coleman, who was carrying his Tesco employee card, was confronted by armed counter-terrorism police and forced to the ground.

A search of the home he shared with his parents and brother revealed the extent of Coleman’s murderous ideology, including idolizing Thomas Mair, the extremist who killed MP Jo Cox.

Police found savings worth £2,500 in his bedside table drawer and a device to detect bugs and hidden cameras; a rock with a Swastika on the table; a Black Sun flag on the wall, associated with neo-Nazism; and various far-right books.

Giving evidence, Coleman told how he had been isolated and suffering for his mental health during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Coleman admitted trying to possess both a firearm and ammunition but denied preparing for a terrorist attack.

He admitted to the charge that he possessed 10 documents containing information that could be useful to terrorists, such as weapons-related texts and bomb-making instructions.

Speaking after the sentencing, Commander Helen Flanagan, Chief Executive of London Counter Terrorism Police, said: “It is extremely worrying that such a young man is planning to kill innocent members of the public as part of a far-right terror plot.

“But thankfully the Counter Terrorism Police, working with our colleagues at MI5, were able to intervene and arrest him before he harmed anyone and I have little doubt that the fantastic work of everyone involved prevented what could have been a real tragedy.

“What is particularly worrying is that Coleman was radicalized online when he was just 14 years old, and unfortunately we are seeing more and more young people and children being drawn into violent extremism and terrorism in this way.

“So I would advise parents and carers to be aware of what your children are doing online. Although it can be difficult, it is vital that you talk to them and if you still have concerns then Act Early and reach out so they can be directed down a different path before it is too late.”